Amazon Tops Trust Rankings as Datum Report Exposes Pervasive Dark Patterns in Indian E-commerce

Datum Index: Amazon Tops Trust Rankings as Datum Report Exposes Pervasive Dark Patterns in Indian E-commerce
A new report from Datum Intelligence, titled ‘Dark Patterns in India’s Online Marketplaces’, reveals that the Indian digital economy is grappling with a significant financial and reputational crisis. Despite regulatory crackdowns, deceptive interface designs known as “dark patterns” continue to impact millions of consumers, leading to an estimated annual loss of ₹25,000–₹28,000 crore.

The Cost of Deception:
The study, conducted in Q1 2026, highlights a concerning gap between consumer awareness and reality. While 81% of shoppers are aware of dark patterns, 85% still report being misled by them.

Widespread Impact: 88% of India’s 304 million online buyers lose between ₹78 and ₹87 per month due to tactics like drip pricing, hidden charges, and subscription traps.

Market Risk: These practices put over ₹55,000 crore in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) at risk, as consumers reduce spending or switch platforms in response to eroding trust.

Platform Tactics: 73% of platforms employ “forced action” designs, while 69% utilize “drip pricing” (revealing extra fees only at checkout).

Trust Rankings: Leaders and Laggards
The report maps a 92-point trust gap between the best and worst-performing platforms:

E-commerce: Amazon India leads as the most trusted platform, with 50% of consumers naming it their top choice. Conversely, Flipkart, Myntra, and Nykaa face net distrust from their user bases.

Online Travel: MakeMyTrip is perceived as the safest platform, while Cleartrip ranks among the most harmful.

Quick Commerce: BigBasket recorded one of the highest severity scores regarding exposure to dark patterns.

The Path to Reform:
Datum Intelligence emphasizes that current regulatory definitions are often too ambiguous, creating a “grey zone” where aggressive marketing masquerades as manipulation. The report proposes a 36-month roadmap to stabilize the ecosystem:

Immediate Action (0-6 months): Ban pre-selected insurance/add-ons, mandate all-inclusive pricing in search results, and establish a fast-track complaint portal.

Infrastructure Building (6-18 months): Mandate quarterly UX transparency reports for large platforms and implement a graduated penalty structure similar to EU/UK models.

Long-term Standards (18-36 months): Institutionalize annual third-party UX audits and align Indian standards with global frameworks.

Corporate Accountability:
The report points to notable shifts in corporate behavior. Amazon India is credited for its proactive investments in fraud prevention and consumer awareness initiatives like Mission GraHAQ 3.0. Meanwhile, Zepto is highlighted for its rare public course correction, where it redesigned its checkout flow following a CCPA penalty in late 2025.

As digital commerce adoption continues to accelerate, the report concludes that the future of India’s “trust economy” depends on a collaborative effort between regulators and platforms to ensure that commercial persuasion never crosses the line into deception.